Black, women lawyers to benefit

Pretoria – The Justice Department is working on a model to ensure that the legal work dished out by government is spread out to include the services of black lawyers and women, says Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe.

Commenting on concerns about a lack of transformation in the judiciary, Radebe said that the South African government was the biggest litigator in the country and state attorneys were the “biggest law firm on the continent.”

Against this backdrop, there was no reason black and female lawyers had to wait for a long time to be given an opportunity to expose themselves to the world of law, Radebe added.

The model being finalised would ensure that when government procures legal services, work is distributed to include the services of black lawyers and particularly women, both black and white, he said.

The minister also suggested that interviews with judges be broadcast by the SABC live on TV and radio.

The interview of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) with Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng for the position Chief Justice was aired on TV at the weekend.

“My personal view is that live broadcast is something we need to promote in South Africa … so that all South Africans can see the candidates that are being interviewed, especially in this instance where prior to the interview, there had been a lot of media reports on the suitability of Justice Mogoeng,” he said.

Radebe added that Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke had informed President Jacob Zuma on the outcome of the JSC interview, and it was now up to the President to complete the consultation process.

“After all that engagement, I’m sure that the President will apply his mind to what he has to decide,” said Radebe. – BuaNews